RSAC 2024

Our presentation will show how our district implemented leadership and character education into our school day to help students understand what it means to be a leader. We wanted to implement something in the district that would be universal for all grade levels.
We have worked on social emotions skills with K-4th grade. Some of these lessons focus on responsible decision making and coping strategies. Our social emotional skills program has provided students with a sense of belonging. They are learning that everyone has big emotions, ways to handle these emotions, and these lessons have helped them to feel connected to others in the building.
Our 5th-8th grade has been focusing on leadership and what it means to be a leader. We have common ideas such as “model the way” that we use when talking to students about behavioral choices. We have done projects that help students learn about the challenges of leadership and how to inspire a share vision for what we want our building to be.
Even with all of these lessons going on, we made time for fun! We created “families” within our entire district. We have had several family days this year where we have done some fun projects and bonding. During these family days, students are practicing the skills they have learned in our social emotional and leadership lesson time.
The work we have done has provided a great experience for all this year. We feel that we have a welcoming and positive environment for all of our students and staff. We have seen a decrease in our discipline numbers and an increase in our attendance.

Join us for an engaging session focused on leveraging co teaching as a dynamic collaborative approach for enhancing student linguistic and academic development.
We will journey through the systemic approaches of co-teaching, through setting the foundations, stages of implementation, collective leadership practices, challenging and proactive solutions, and conclude with hearing voices from the field. Through the session, participants will delve into the core principles and practical strategies underpinning successful co teaching initiatives. We will explore how co teaching serves as a catalyst for fostering student achievement and growth, particularly in linguistic proficiency and academic growth. Drawing from real-world examples and evidence-based insights, attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and nuances of collaborative approaches. Attendees will leave with a guideline for developing and implementing an evidence-based instructional co-teaching model.

Raising student achievement is about moving students from novice to expert. In mathematics, becoming an expert relies heavily on the ability to problem-solve. What I have discovered is that my typical homework assignments have removed a crucial step in the problem-solving process: identifying the deep structure of the problem. The questions on my assignments often provided only surface-level variations of questions with the same underlying problem structure. To become experts, students need experience identifying the deep structure of problems, selecting appropriate mathematical concepts, and planning strategies to apply those concepts. To provide this necessary experience to students, I began to integrate purposeful instruction in metacognition, utilizing a blend of mathematical tasks and journaling in my Algebra 2 classroom. In this session, we will explore the implementation of metacognitive instruction in the classroom along with its outcomes. Additionally, we'll examine existing assignments and brainstorm strategies to enhance them, fostering students' development as adept problem solvers.

Join us for an enlightening session where we share our journey from traditional to standards-based grading practices. In this session, we'll address the question: How can educators effectively shift their grading practices to align with standards and promote student success?

By implementing standards-based grading, educators can provide more accurate and meaningful feedback to students, fostering a deeper understanding of content and promoting academic growth. In turn this provides student ownership and engagement in learning.

Our session will explore practical strategies for unpacking standards, collecting data, and implementing proficiency-based grading. Drawing from research, theory, and best practices in education, we'll ground our discussion in evidence-based approaches that have shown to increase both educator and student success.

Participants can expect to gain an understanding of standards-based grading principles and leave with actionable steps to implement in their own classrooms. Together, we'll chart a course towards a more equitable, standards-aligned approach to assessment, ultimately enhancing student learning outcomes.

Come learn how to transform your grading practices and unlock new possibilities for student achievement!

Summit Academy prioritizes addressing the social and emotional needs of its students, resulting in improved attendance and academic achievement. Central to this success is the implementation of a comprehensive approach where students have a sense of autonomy, belonging, and competence. Through these, Summit Academy has developed systems for both students and staff, leading to a consistent increase in student engagement with their personal learning experiences year after year. If it works for us, it will work for you!

Fulton High School, the CTE programs and FFA collaborate to provide students in art, construction, culinary, business, and media publication with a space to manage, construct, book and prepare meals for during high school events. The Steamer Suite provides a catered experience and private suite for customers, students, staff and guests as they watch Fulton High School events. Students oversee almost every aspect of booking, menu planning, promoting, meal preparations, and decorating the space. Learn how to create meaningful real life learning experiences that help students utilize skills taught in the classroom.

All students deserve to acquire writing skills. Most teachers are ill-prepared to teach writing. In this session, I demonstrate how to write narrative essays aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Session participants’ writing skills will be improved as will their learners’. During this workshop, I model strategies for brainstorming ideas, selecting an idea, planning a story, and writing the essay. Participants participate in each step, collaborate and share ideas, as writers often do.
First, I have participants craft a writing oath to themselves, agreeing not to be critical of their writing. Next, I model two methods of generating ideas and allow participants to practice creating a list of story ideas. Then, I model how to select an idea and turn it into a “first, then” statement. Participants will select an idea and do the same. Afterward, we discuss time order transitions and create a quick plan of the essay. We review the plan and make adjustments. We then consider elaboration strategies and add details to our plan. Lastly, I model turning my plan into a narrative story. Participants then do the same.
All participants leave this session with both resources and links to resources so they are able to return to their classrooms with the skills and confidence to teach their students to write. As a result of this session,, they will be able to model their thinking, decision-making, and writing for their students. Later, they will coach and support their students while following the process.

Empowerment through problem solving word problem is possible! Discover practical strategies to engage students in deep thinking about math tasks through productive struggle and math discussions. Leave equipped to seamlessly integrate these techniques into your curriculum and empower your students in conquering word problems!

This session will cover methods, assessments, and interventions to guarantee growth for all students. We will share systems to ensure success in ACT/SAT, AP, vertically aligned classroom instruction, and more.